Roberta Sphinx
Roberta Sphinx, also known by her Second Flag Zellen ONU codename Beta, is a former Second Flag operative who served directly under Viva Makihara, acting as a bodyguard, adviser, and on many occasions as a deep penetration double agent within numerous entities. Sphinx's most notable skill is urban infiltration through the use of shape-shifting abilities, which allows her to transform into a feline form of varying outward appearances. With her feline form, Sphinx is able to perform infiltration and surveillance, often posing as a wildcat or other domesticated species. Some of her more common forms include tabby cats, ocelots, and lynxes. Due to her physiology, she also exhibits cat-like features in her upright form, the most obvious of which is the presence of fully functioning feline ears and tail. Biography Early Life Roberta Sphinx was abandoned by her parents at a young age, and spent most of her childhood in St. Felia's Orphanage in Boston Massachusetts, where she grew up as a wannabe criminal and small time thief. It was during her teenage years that she would earn the nickname "Tabby," as she began to gain a tendency for cat burglary of other criminals in Southie, particularly local drug dealers and minor elements of the Irish Mob. Boston Police Department After a failed theft in 2090 ended in her arrest, Sphinx was offered a deal as a confidential informant due to her knowledge of criminal activities in the area. Sphinx operated under cover for the Boston Police Department for a year before deciding to go straight, and in May of 2091 she joined the Boston Police Academy. After graduating from the academy in December of that year, she entered the police force as a junior officer in the high profile crimes division. Over the course of the next three years she would eventually be promoted to sergeant in Special Weapons And Tactics. Stonefish Systems Paramilitary Testing Initiative In 2094, Roberta Sphinx was hired by defense, security and aerospace company Stonefish Systems to serve as a paramilitary consultant and prototype systems tester. One particular weapon system was the Herculus active armor system, a form of lightweight carbon armor intended to be mounted on combat exo-skeleton suits. Designing the Hercules took four months, however Roberta's input on the system led to enormous successes in testing, which allowed Stonefish Systems to land a multi-million dollar contract with the United States Marine Corp for the purchase of Hercules armor systems. It was after this success that Roberta Sphinx was approached for the Stonefish advanced projects division. Induction to Gorille-Goré Experiment In July of 2094, Sphinx was offered an opportunity to test a government contracted black project codenamed Gorille-Goré, after spending several months in Stonefish System's advanced projects division. However, unbeknownst to Sphinx, Gorille-Goré was a parallel program to DARPA's MINDSOLDIER, with a focus on physiological and genetic alteration, for the purpose of enhancing the infiltration and strategic espionage abilities of an individual by allowing them to alter their physiology and appearance to effectively transform into a form resembling either another human or another animal entirely. The program relied heavily on bionic augmentation and surgical modification, including heavy implementation of Chemicord in massive quantities throughout the body. However the most important facet of the system was the ceramic nano-fluid construction of the skin and internal organs. The crystalline structure of the nano-fluids allowed for a strong bond to be formed in seconds following command from the central nervous system, allowing the user's external appearance to be changed in mere moments through the rapid reformation of the flexible nano-fluid ceramics in the skin. Fluid transformation in the body would also assist in structural durability, cushioning the internal organs during transformation, adapting them for function in various non-human forms. After discovering the immensely invasive methods used in the installation of the technology, Sphinx immediately cancelled her contract with the Gorille-Goré Project. Furious, the heads of the project determined the departure of such a specialized test subject to be unacceptable, and on her way home from Stonefish System's testing facility, Sphinx was ambushed and subdued. Over the course of two days, Sphinx would undergo numerous cybernetic transplantation and augmentation surgeries, replacing 92 percent of her body with artificial material, namely a variable geometry skeleton of highly durable ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene that could alter its overall shape with over 2000 points of articulation. In addition to bodily hardware, Sphinx also received a comprehensive suite of experimental biodata processing equipment that would allow her to control her new body. Escape from Stonefish Systems Upon waking and finding that she had been an unwilling experiment subject for Stonefish Systems, Roberta became enraged. She attempted to flee from the facility after breaking free of her restraints, barely escaping on foot. In the days following her escape, Sphinx experimented with her body's abilities and found that the array of technology implanted in her body allowed for extreme flexibility. Further exploration into her new abilities revealed limited control over her outward physical appearance, including eye, hair, and skin color, facial structure, and growth of the synthetic hairs that covered her body for use in magnetic and atmospheric sensors. However, Sphinx, having not been conscious during the operation that changed her, was unaware of the extent of her cybernetic augmentation, and lacking the proper training, had no clue how to transform entirely. Second Flag Recruitment Though Stonefish Systems attempted to cover up the events of Roberta Sphinx's escape, the incident attracted the attention of Viva Makihara, who learned of the Gorille-Goré Project through DARPA contacts. Deciding that the technology would be a danger to Second Flag if introduced to the military, Makihara destroyed, stole, or bought all traces related to the Gorille-Goré project, and tracked down Roberta Sphinx with intent to kill her as to seal away all traces of Stonefish Systems' investigations into cybernetic warfare. However, Viva Makihara assumed that Roberta Sphinx was in a much weaker physical state than in actuality, due to medical records found at Stonefish Systems. The first team sent to kill Sphinx was completely eviscerated, with their bodies torn to shreds and strewn about the small hotel room in which Sphinx was hiding. On the second attempt, Makihara personally deployed with Grassroots, a specialized Second Flag recovery team. Though Grassroots sustained heavy casualties, Viva Makihara was able to convince Sphinx to join Second Flag by appealing to her sense of justice and promising the destruction of corruption the likes of Stonefish Systems. Grassroots In 2094, Viva Makihara offered Sphinx an opportunity to lead an elite Grassroots political effect unit, utilizing her abilities to impersonate certain individuals and assume their roles in long term operations. Sphinx agreed, and after a few operations, Sphinx became enthralled with the pure scope of her activities, becoming incredibly loyal to Viva Makihara and her mission. Over time and with assistance from Viva Makihara and Second Flag's science team, Sphinx mastered her body's transformation abilities. Sphinx quickly grew to love her capabilities, and by 2094, Sphinx had the ability to replicate the appearance and appearance of dogs, cats, simians, and other humans almost perfectly. She also learned how to transform rapidly, training herself to re-arrange in the shortest time possible, even modifying herself to eject a thin layer of super heated carbon molecules in order to increase the bond speed of her nano-fluid systems. Sphinx would also study tirelessly to learn the programming of her system so that she could have better control over it. Through these methods Sphinx grew to be able to transform completely in under 600 milliseconds. Her physical abilities quickly proved to be incredibly useful in the field. For her outstanding performances and skill, Sphinx was personally given the code name "Skinwalker" by Viva Makihara, and was promoted to lieutenant commander of 2F-Grassroots. Umbrella After returning from a mission in the United States in September of 2094 Sphinx and her team were ambushed by USN commando forces loyal to Johanne Samaritan. Her team was killed, and Sphinx was captured and brought to a clandestine facility in the Bahamas known as Umbrella, where she was subject to psychological torture with the aim of revealing Viva Makihara's location. Roberta Sphinx proved to be initially extremely resistant to the torture. However her captors quickly discovered her advanced nervous system modifications, and soon began using it as an inlet for numerous forms of cybernetics viruses. Once access was gained to her digital systems, Roberta was forced to endure weeks of uncalibrated physiological alteration on the fly, extensively damaging her internal organs, both artificial and organic, and causing extreme internal bleeding. By the time Grassroots operatives raided Umbrella, Sphinx was on the brink of death, having been ravaged internally by her own nano-fluid structure which had solidified into a thousand razor sharp ceramic shards inside of her abdomen. Though Sphinx eventually healed from her torture, the calibration protocols that controlled her transformation abilities had been permanently corrupted, limiting her to a small array transformation templates, namely small cats. The corruption to Sphinx's systems also caused a partial transformation of her unaltered form, attributing to the permanent addition of several physical characteristics of a lynx, including a tufted tail and feline ears, both of which operate with complete functionality. Retirement from Grassroots After her severe injury as the result of her imprisonment at Umbrella, Sphinx was deemed unfit for field operations with Grassroots. Crippled and barely to walk without a cane, Sphinx fell into a deep depression and habit of self mutilation that culminated in her attempted suicide in 2098. However, her attempt failed due to direct intervention by Viva Makihara herself. In the following weeks, Sphinx began physical therapy under guidance from Viva Makihara and a number of Second Flag scientists. It would be several months before Sphinx returned to peak physical form, demonstrating her renewed combat ability and the return of her transformation abilities. Though her transformations were limited to small feline species, her human appearance required the use of obscuring clothing to hide her tail and cat ears. Rise as Zellen Beta Despite her ability in the field, Makihara felt it unnecessary for Sphinx to return to infiltration duty. Instead, Roberta Sphinx was given a new title - Beta - and assigned to the ranks of the Zellen, a network of highly skilled individuals that serve under Viva Makihara as lieutenants, administrating deep penetration operations and offshoot organizations around the globe. In 2099 she began her first assignment as a Zellen, serving as a personal bodyguard first to Viva Makihara, and later to Kuolema and Nalan Talyn. Later Operations In 2111, Sphinx briefly returned to active duty within Grassroots, primarily acting as an active infiltrator in an operation to investigate Yontos Pharmacueticals and possible ties to Johanne Samaritan's GSO-Cloning program. In 2128, Sphinx was deployed by Viva Makihara to Kherabahd IK Headquarters in Southern Iraq for clandestine protection of assets in the possession of Valentina Richter, who was under threat from a Second Flag splinter group, and to ensure the safe transfer of Nalan Talyn's consciousness into a bioroid construct stored at Kherabahd IK. However, due to interference from forces formerly loyal to Johanne Samaritan, Sphinx failed in her objective. In a final mission to destroy Domus Tempus, Roberta Sphinx suffered a head injury from a gunshot, and intense internal damage to her structure from a Mindscramble virus. In a semi-comatose state, Sphinx's automatic systems reduced her to a reduced mental state and locking her semifluidc state. Helping Hand In 2135, Sphinx regained awakened consciousness. However, she would remain in a locked state for two more years until being taken with Jennifer Kelleton to Mount Rainier, where she would assume human form for the first time in 9 years. However, brain damage and system corruption had taken a massive toll on her systems, causing frequent chemicord fracturing. After beginning physical therapy, Sphinx was propositioned to join the organization Helping Hand, which she accepted. Trivia * Sphinx only weighs 80-90 pounds on average, and because of this she is very susceptible to alcohol poisoning and alcoholic intoxication. Yet, despite this, Sphinx is known to have a highly persistent drinking problem. * Though often appearing outwardly sexually promiscuous, Sphinx is known to be very sexually reserved from those she is not romantically involved with. * Though her transformative abilities theoretically inflict a large amount of pain due to the incredible stresses placed on her system during the process, Sphinx often describes the act of transformation to be incredibly pleasurable. It is theorized by Dr. Toony Aensle that both the digital and organic pain receptors in her body had been "rewired" to instead provide a pleasurable sensation in the moments directly before and after transformation. * Sphinx is extremely sensitive about her childhood, often lashing out violently when reminded of anything relating to that part of her life, especially the nickname "Tabby," a name given to her during her days as a teenage cat burglar. * Despite her extremely immoral methods and personal ideals, Sphinx is very religious, having been raised in a Catholic orphanage. * Sphinx's favorite color is green, and she can often be seen with emerald green eyes through the use of pigment modifications * Roberta was highly lactose intolerant as a child. However she quickly grew to love all sorts of dairy products when in Second Flag, especially ice cream, as one of the gene-therapies performed on her during the Gorille-Goré Project increased her production of lactase, allowing her to digest dairy. * Sphinx's feline ears are extremely sensitive to pain and other sensations. The tip of her left ear, however, was cut off during her torture at the hands of Rutto Talyn, drastically lowering its sensitivity due to Chemicord damage. Despite her outward hostility towards anyone intending to touch her second ears, she greatly enjoys the sensation of having them touched. This is suspected by Dr. Toony Aensle to be a symptom of her widespread pain receptor "rewiring". Category:Characters Category:Second Flag Members Category:Zellen Category:Helping Hand Category:Shape Shifters